March 27th, 2019
LITTLE ROCK- A new bill was passed though both the house and senate chambers in Arkansas yesterday which will provide new protections for consumers in the farming industry.
Senate Bill 450 establishes “lemon law” type protection to consumers in the purchase of new self-propelled farm machinery and equipment which do not conform to the manufacturer’s warranty and attempts to repair the problem fail.
The Farm Machinery Quality Assurance Act applies to new self-propelled equipment over 25 horsepower that is typically used for agricultural purposes. It requires the consumer to notify the manufacturer of nonconforming issues within 1 year of purchase or 600 hours of operation of the equipment. Similar to the motor vehicle lemon law, the manufacturer then has three opportunities to repair the problem. If the repair attempts are unsuccessful, the consumer has the right to a refund or replacement of the equipment.
“Farm equipment is a major and necessary expense for farmers, often costing thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “But when that equipment doesn’t work and can’t be repaired, it can be disastrous. With the passage of the Farm Machinery Quality Assurance Act, farmers are no longer vulnerable to potentially devastating financial losses due to faulty equipment.”
The bill has passed both chambers of the legislature and will now go to the governor for his signature to become law.
Photo: “Agrifac Condor self-propelled sprayer at IndAgra Farm Romexpo 2010” by “Gabinho” is licensed under Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
